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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Louis Sitterly - G.A.R., Bishop Post

Louis Sitterly, born July 15, 1844, was German born and immigrated to the U.S. with his parents when just a boy. .

In the summer of 1862, the 107th Regiment of the Union Army, Company K, was organized in Cleveland. Almost all Germans, Louis must have felt that he would fit right in when he enlisted on September 9, 1862. This unit was in some of the heaviest fighting of the war. But it was at Chancellorsville that they suffered quite heavy losses of men through death, sickness and captures.

Louis Sitterly became one of the prisoners of war because of his capture there. One would have to order his pension file to fill in the details of this capture. Was he sent to a POW camp in Virginia, or paroled back to his unit with a vow never to lift arms against the enemy again, or was he in a prisoner exchange? A later report by him indicated that he was held as a prisoner, probably in Libby Prison.

If he was exchanged, and if he was physically able, he would have moved with his unit to Gettysburg where Lee was threatening on Northern territory. The enemy pushed his unit back to Cemetery Hill, where they held steady. Their losses numbered 550 men, but they captured the flag of the 8th Louisiana Tigers.

The 107th Ohio Infantry
—-
Left Emmitsburg at 8 a.m. and reached Gettysburg at 1 p.m. July 1.
Engaged the enemy with their brigade, losing heavily. Subsequently fell
back to Cemetery Hill, and there formed in front of Wiedrich’s Battery. Evening of July 2, participated in repulsing the attack of Hays’ Louisiana Brigade,
Adjutant P.F. Young capturing the colors of the 8th Louisiana Tigers.
July 3 remained on East Cemetery Hill, exposed to fire of sharpshooters
and artillery. Early July 4, made a sortie to the town. Number engaged
in the battle 400, killed 23, wounded 111, missing 77, total loss 211.

Louis mustered out on July 19, 1865, at Charleston. At the end of its term, the unit served picket duty in South Carolina, and from there captured a train, all of its cars with provisions and ammunition for the Confederates. How good it must have felt when Louis headed home after 2 years, 11 months and 23 days! The only disability he mentioned on the 1890 census was "sunstroke, while a prisoner," which suggested time spent as a prisoner after his capture at Chancellorsville.

Louis, still a single man, returned home to his parents after the war. At 25, he lived with his parents, Joseph,
57, and Elizabeth, 59, on a farm where he helped his father, according to the 1870 census. On October 8, 1874, he married Miss Isabella Schoonover in Defiance, Ohio.It seemed that Louis Sitterly remained in Defiance Township for the rest of his life. In 1900, he and Isabel were settled into a rental farm with their three daughters: Sarah E., a school teacher, 23 and single; Anna, at school; and Bertha, 14, at school. Another daughter, Mary Antoinette (Nettie) would have been 24 and perhaps married and living elsewhere.

In 1916, their daughter, Bertha died at home at the age of 27. The Defiance Democrat reported the obituary on October 19, 1916:"MISS BERTHA SITTERLY DIES.Miss Bertha Sitterly, age 27, died Saturday morning at 12:30 o'clock at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Sitterly, four miles south of the city in Defiance township. Funeral services will be held from the home Monday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock, and at 2 p.m. in the Oakland Methodist Episcopal Church. The remains will be buried in the Myers Cemetery."

In 1920, Louis, 76, had retired as a farmer and lived with Isabell (Isibell) on the Defiance township farm. He identified himself as an alien on this census, but in 1910, he reported he was naturalized. Louis died on June 27, 1922, and was buried beside his daughter, Bertha, in Myers Cemetery. His obituary appeared in the Crescent-News on June 28, 1922:

Isabell lived about a year and a half longer, passing away on December 10, 1923 at the age of 77. This notice appeared in the Crescent News on December 11, 1923.

(This is
part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part
of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city. Formed in
1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop,
Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of
wounds received in battle. The veterans' photos are part of a composite
photo of members that has survived. If you have other information or
corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the
comments!)